“Gertten chronicles the impact of lawsuits alleging slander and defamation since launched by Dole against himself and Jangard. He also explores the “life-changing” fallout from what he describes as Dole’s corporate bullying, scare tactics and “disturbing and frightening” media manipulation. (Dole subsequently withdrew those lawsuits.)” (Source: Reid, 2012; np link)

“The film, produced by Margarete Jangard, is Fredrik Gertten’s follow-up to Bananas!, the controversial 2008 documentary Simpson co-produced that chronicled the struggles of 12 Nicaraguan banana plantation workers who sued Dole Food Co. The lawsuit filed by prominent Los Angeles attorney Juan Dominguez alleged workers at Dole-operated plantations in Central America in the 1970s were rendered sterile because of exposure to a since-banned pesticide used on its farms”. (Source: Reid, 2012; np link)

“In April 2009, Swedish filmmakers Fredrik Gertten and Margarete Jangård learned that the world premiere of BANANAS!*—their documentary about a lawsuit against the Dole Food Company—would take place at a major film festival in Los Angeles. (Source: B.T, 2012; np link)

“[Bananas!*] was subsequently removed from competition at the Los Angeles Film Festival and lawyers acting on behalf of Dole threatened legal action to stop Gertten from distributing his picture. Big Boys Gone Bananas!* continues this extraordinary story through the film-maker’s eyes as he faces a barrage of criticism and scrutiny in the media and contends with the very real possibility that the multinational corporation will file a defamation lawsuit. With freedom of speech at stake, Gertten dares to stand up to the consumer giant, risking everything to ensure the voices of the 12 Nicaraguan plantation workers are heard on the big screen.” (Source: Smith, 2012; np link)

“‘It is easier to cope with a bad conscience than a bad reputation.’ With this in mind the powerful banana corporation, DOLE Food Company, led their campaign against a Swedish filmmaker and his film BANANAS!*, which questions the cultivation methods of the company’s banana plantations in South America” (Source: DOK international, 2012; np link)

“What happened next may well be the scariest story here at Sundance, as Gertten found himself the subject of litigation by the largest produce grower in the world, essentially calling him a liar.” (Source: Monk, 2012; np link)

“But then Gertten gets a strange message: the festival removes BANANAS!* from competition. Then a scathing article appears in the Los Angeles Business Journal about the film, and Gertten subsequently receives a letter from Dole’s attorney threatening him with legal action. What follows is an unparalleled thriller that has Gertten capturing the entire process – from DOLE attacking the producers with a defamation lawsuit, bullying scare tactics, to media-control and PR-spin. This personal film reveals precisely how a multinational will stop at nothing to get its way – freedom of speech is at stake.” (Source: PressTVvideos, 2012; np link)

“Dole accused Gertten of reporting falsehoods, and wanted the film pulled from the L.A. festival on the night of its world premiere. At first, the festival was resilient, but when Dole’s lawyers sent documents to sponsors, as well as the festival itself, the festival essentially pulled the film from competition.” (Source: Monk, 2012; np link)

“The film was reportage, but when it was supposed to have its premiere at the Los Angeles film festival in 2009, Dole issued a cease-and-desist order against Gertten, Simpson and the creative team.” (Source: Monk, 2012; np link)

“Within weeks, they were embroiled in a legal and public-relations battle to save their premiere, their film, their reputations, and their freedom of speech.” (Source: B.T, 2012; np link)

“The California-based agriculture giant, taking issue with what it said were fraudulent claims, had tried to halt the film’s distribution and threatened to sue the Los Angeles Film Festival and its sponsors if Bananas! was screened as planned in June 2009.” (Source: Reid, 2012; np link)

“It was pulled from competitions and screenings were cancelled, with Gertten instructed not even to talk about it. The media picked up Dole’s press releases without question, and journalists reported on the films’ inaccuracies without ever seeing it.” (Source: Williams J, 2012; np link)

“The intimidation worked: The festival, concerned about its own liability, caved. It pulled the film from competition, moved the screening to a remote location, and prepared what can only be described as an insulting disclaimer, noting that “serious questions have been raised about its credibility” – to be read ahead of the screening.” (Source: Lederman, 2012 link)

“It’s given people a keen understanding of how some companies can be very influential.” – Frederik Gertten (Source: Reid, 2012; np link)

“It didn’t seem to matter that Dole was proven guilty in the courts. People found it easier to question the credibility of a filmmaker than believe Dole was not only negligent, but orchestrating a campaign to shut him and the movie down. The film alleges that it was cheaper for Dole to malign a little-known filmmaker, using a sophisticated smear campaign, than it was to pay millions in damages to the Nicaraguan workers, to say nothing of the damage done to the Dole brand itself, should it become known they were harming human beings on purpose.” (Source: Monk, 2012; np link)

“Many news outlets ran with the Dole version of the story, which cast aspersions on the lawyer leading the banana workers’ suit. The Los Angeles Business Journal, for example, used a front-page headline that read: “The Big Slip-Up.” In Canada, a CTV news anchor engages in lighthearted banter about Gertten’s fight to screen the film. “Of course,” she quips, “he’s an artiste.”. “The most frustrating thing over and over and over again was the view of me from people who hadn’t seen the film,” Gertten, a former journalist himself, said this week in an interview from Malmo. “The spin that Dole created was so well done: If there’s smoke, there must be fire. It’s a very old-school trick to play, but it works and it works quite well with journalists.”. “The fact that this film has gotten such a good run is satisfying not only for the original Bananas!* film, but just for free speech, period,” says Bart Simpson (co-producer)” (Source: Lederman, 2012 link)

“At this point, Gertten was at a bit of a loss. He was ridiculed by the US media for being an & artiste & who couldn’t get his facts right. But, at this point, the story changes direction. Someone, just an ordinary Swedish person, who knew about the film, called Bananas!, was eating a fruit salad at a Swedish restaurant chain. He asked the waiter where the bananas came from. Amazingly, the waiter found out they were supplied by Dole. He then asked the company if they knew Dole was suing a Swedish director, and he blogged about it. The restaurant chain was small and keen to show it cared, so it said it would stop buying from Dole. From there, the story just exploded. Reporters were calling all the supermarkets in Sweden asking them what they intended doing. Strange as it may seem, bananas are an important product line for supermarkets. People buy lots of them and the profitability rates are high. Gertten said the story moved from the arts pages to the business pages.” (Source: Cohen, 2012; np link)

“Gertten, Simpson and Jangard were lucky enough to get help from First Amendment lawyers in the U.S., one of whom can’t stop shaking his head at the dirty tricks, and the scope of corporate complicity – particularly after one First Amendment fighter wrote an op-ed piece that compared Bananas! to Nazi propaganda.” (Source: Monk, 2012; np link)

“Gertten takes the offensive, filing a countersuit and media campaign of his own to confront Dole’s overgrown-schoolyard-bully tactics. As demonstrated over the past several months in actions held around the globe, corporations are being taken to task for their disproportionate political and financial influence. BIG BOYS GONE BANANAS!* is a telling case study of the power of individuals to fight back.” (Source: B.T, 2012; np link)

“Two Swedish MPs from opposites sides of the political divide got together and decided to show the movie in the Swedish parliament. All of a sudden, Dole dropped its court case. And that was not the end. California has laws to try to stop companies using the court process as a form of coercion – called anti-Slapp laws.Slapp stands for & strategic lawsuit against public participation& The idea is that if you threaten anyone with a lawsuit claiming they said something they did not in fact say, they can demand you pay their legal fees. Gertten then sued Dole under these laws and amazingly won. He was awarded $200000 in fees and costs.Naturally, Gertten then made a movie about being sued by Dole, called Big Boys Gone Bananas.” (Source: Cohen, 2012; np link)

“So Gertten ended up in court himself. He also won, vindicating his documentary. He also kept his camera rolling throughout, and made the story into a second documentary, Big boys gone bananas” (Source: Williams J, 2012; np link)

“He filmed this entire process of corporate bullying and media spin – from DOLE attacking the producers with a defamation lawsuit, utilizing scare tactics, to media-control and PR-spin. Big Boys Gone Bananas!* can be seen as a thriller and a cautionary tale. But, mostly this is a personal story about what happened to Gertten, as a documentary filmmaker and to his company and how the livelihood of documentary filmmakers can be easily put into jeopardy.” (WG film, 2012; np link)

“If Bananas!* was a story about workers’ rights, Big Boys is a film about freedom of speech and a cautionary tale about media coverage that really is a must-see for every journalist.” (Source: Lederman, 2012; link)

“The film argues that the “big boys” found a way to co-opt and corrupt the media through malignant suggestion, misinformation and instilling fear in the heart of ad sales, using tactics ranging from contracting well-regarded experts to write biased op-ed pieces for big publications to old-fashioned intimidation tactics.” (Source: Monk, 2012; np link)

“Targeted by the corporate lawyers from a global food conglomerate, Swedish director Fredrik Gertten adopts a brilliant judo defence: recording the entire process in the course of this gripping – at times positively Orwellian – documentary. Dole Foods are duly cast as the villains of the piece, aided and abetted by dodgy PR firms, internet astroturfers and a supine US media content to run the company’s press releases as fact. Gertten’s film deftly lifts the lid on the black ops of 21st-century “brand management”. Dole comes out smelling of ordure.” (Source: Brooks, 2012; np link)

“While censorship is, sadly, nothing new, its insidious power gains startling immediacy by playing out in front of Gertten’s camera. The filmmakers find themselves painted as villains due to Dole’s shrewd PR moves—even before their film has been screened.” (Source: B.T, 2012; np link)

“Swedish filmmaker Fredrik Gertten’s follow-up to Gertten’s heinously underplayed Bananas!* (2009), documents the process of refusing to lie down and be trampled over by dirty money, dirty smear campaigns and some of the dirtiest men ever to regard themselves as humans” (Source: Watson, 2012; np link)

“Big Boys Gone Bananas! painstakingly chronicles every sickly twist and turn of the saga as Gertten is forced to hire his own defence lawyer, and fight for his professional life against a company with deep pockets.” (Source: Monk, 2012; np link)

INSPIRATION/PROGRESS/TECHNIQUE/METHODOLOGY

“Back in 2009, Swedish documentary filmmaker Fredrik Gertten caused quite a stir in the indie film world with his controversial movie called Bananas!* “The film…dealt with a legal battle against Dole by Nicaraguan farmers who claimed they had become sterile due to an illegal pesticide” (Source: Thompson, 2012; np link)

“Gertten was moved by the international story, and with Simpson’s help, turned it into a non-fiction feature film about the case, the workers and the resulting trial. The result was a blowby-blow account of what happened in court, and the eventual decision against Dole.” (Source: Monk, 2012; np link)

“Big Boys Gone Bananas!*, is a followup film that depicts the personal struggles Gertten and crew faced when Dole decided to sue them. Gertten turns the cameras on himself as a case study on media bias, free speech, and corporate bullying” (Source: Thompson, 2012; np link)

“Dole wanted so badly to suppress the banana workers’ story from the first film and stopped at nothing: threatening film festivals and sponsors and ultimately suing me in an effort to smash me financially” (Source: Gertten, 2012; np link)

“Dole attacked us with a lawsuit, bullied us personally with scare tactics, and tried to control the media through massive PR-spin. Dole managed to create major headlines in their favor, saying that the documentary was based on a lie – before our film could be seen and judged by anyone. Their agents even called up every single news reporter who published a story about our film. It was mind-boggling and frightening. (Source: Gertten, 2012; np link)

“When we first realized Dole was attacking us, we began to publish everything on our website: all pro-Dole articles, all Dole letters and all legal documents. Potential audiences and interested individuals could find out opinions from both sides by visiting our site. On the Dole site there was only one side of the story. We were transparent; Dole and its PR agency were not.” (Source: Gombita, 2012; np link)

“Powerless to stop the juggernaut of bad PR generated by Dole, Gertten did the only thing he knew how: He made a documentary about his burgeoning David and Goliath battle that was blossoming into a full-fledged fight for free speech, and the First Amendment guaranteeing freedom of the press.” (Source: Monk, 2012; np link)

“I hired a film crew to follow me in LA to document getting served with papers. This documentation of our own crazy battle with Dole gave us a framework of a film” (Source: Gertten, 2012; np link)

“We just decided to shoot it. That’s what filmmakers do! That doesn’t mean that you have a film, you know, it’s something different.” (Source: Gertten in O’Key, 2012; np link)

“If you know you have the dramatic arc, you can focus on making the story bigger and deeper. This is not easy and not always fun, but that’s what we, documentary filmmakers do. We keep fighting until we have a film that can travel into the hearts and minds of our audience” (Source: Gertten, 2012; np link)

“We didn’t know what the film should be about. There were many options. I understood that the most interesting part was the media part – that I had to fight so hard with the journalists in Los Angeles. I was pushed into a very defensive position. With every interview I had to explain everything. The angle Dole had created was well done and it stuck; it pushed me into a corner of being a naïve, stupid filmmaker who made a crook [lawyer Juan Dominguez] into a hero.” (Source: Gertten in O’Key, 2012; np link)

“The new film evolved organically, Simpson said. He recalled how Gertten, a veteran globetrotting journalist, impulsively began filming the Bananas! It also put Simpson, co-producer of the top-grossing Canadian documentary The Corporation, in a strange place – in front of the camera.” (Source: Reid, 2012; np link)

“The material we shot in LA was published on the website. But [Dole] were so successful at controlling the media so we needed to tell our own stories and we used our web page for that. We also put up material in their favour because we wanted to be totally transparent. If journalists came to us they could get both versions. If they went to Dole’s side they couldn’t get anything.” (Source: Gertten in O’Key, 2012; np link)

“There’s a tsunami of information out in the world. But information alone is not enough to change the world. A good story told in a condensed way with characters that are good on camera can reach so much further. The combination of images, sound and music is still very strong.” (Source: Gertten, 2012; link)

“My film is much more than a hit piece on Dole. It’s a story about what happens to whistleblowers and people who tell important stories where the powerful don’t like it” (Source: Gertten in O’Key, 2012; np link)

“This important documentary is an account of what it’s like being on the receiving end when a rich, ruthless international corporation dislikes what you say and do. They turn their lawyers and their battery of unscrupulous PR people on you. By comparison a pack of rottweilers look as mild as the Queen’s corgis, and most people back off and give up. At considerable cost to his health and welfare Gertten stood up and eventually, with the bipartisan support of the Swedish Riksdag and the backing of fellow Swedes, he won” (French, 2012 link)

“The actual making of a new film…is allowing us the opportunity to retell the story of the banana workers and how they were endangered by Dole. But, this time, it is the power of the people that ultimately wins.” (Source: Gertten, 2012; np link)

DISCUSSION/RESPONSES

“In many ways this is a more important documentary than the first one.” (Source: Snagabott, 2013; np link)

“The film is one of the most politically-candid documentaries ever to counter-attack the hegemonic tyranny of the masses. From the first postal correspondence to the final emails, the film engages with a lawsuit that not only would have decimated Gertten’s reputation as a vanguard of free speech, but would have remained an unyielding stain on independent cinema’s ability to speak on behalf of the forgotten.” (Watson, 2012 link)

“This should be shown in every cinema across the globe.” (Source: Rosenerik, 2012; np link)

“I just saw the movie on DVD and I must say it was one of the most inspiring movies I have ever seen! Anyone who is planning to change the world should start today with seeing this movie. It was really great to see how much courage you had to decide to fight and continue fighting with this inhuman machinery. Huge respect for that.” (Source: Tulek, 2013 link)

“#bigboysgonebananas Everybody should see the film BIG BOYS GONE BANANAS* It is very inspiring to see how a few people can make a difference.” (Source: Berg, 2013; np link)

“It is a story that needs to be told over and over again to remind us that we still have a voice, no matter how small” (Source: Chen, 2012 link)

“@FredrikGertten Just watched the film about your film. You’re an inspiration. Thank you for standing up for the little guy.” (Source: Burly, 2013 np link )

“Freedom of speech is the foundation of democracy, and freedom of speech includes prohibition of censorship. Then you can wonder if the US is really a democracy.” (Source: ZaRreE, 2012; np link)

“I feel as though I should put a disclaimer on my review or risk getting a letter from Dole’s lawyer. A fascinating doc on the lengths to which a corporation will go to protect their reputation. Frightening” (Source: John B, 2012; np link)

“I have just watched ‘Big Boys Go Bananas’ on Sky in New Zealand. I applaud your courage and fortitude in sticking to your guns, and not being bullied or ground down by the relentless pressure from a rich multinational company like Dole. That was a great victory for freedom of speech in today’s global economy, where a few huge corporations control so much. You should be proud, and so should Sweden for standing behind you” (Source: Anon, 2013; np link)

“This is so tasteless you pretend to be this indie anti-coperation site yet you want me to buy (pay) for this documentary. If its really important for you to spread the word you should at least make it free in the country of the creator (Sweden) this is tragi-comic” (Source: Maltborg, 2013; np link)

“Here’s a good rule of thumb when searching for movies: If the synopsis starts with the words “Swedish Documentary Filmmaker” move on.” (Source: CptCryBaby 2012; np link )

“I’ve just seen part of the documentary about the lawsuit. Sad to see, and I guess this is the reality about every multinational companies. They will sue anyone that tries to tell the truth, if they think the truth will hurt them, or their reputation. Big money wins. :(“ (Source: BelieveNoGod, 2013; np link)

“Hey Dole, instead of using millions of dollars creating a slander campaign destroying honest plantation workers, lawyers and film makers, you could have actually spent it on using less hazardous pesticides. But that must be a weird thought for true vermin like you.” (Source: Boringshi, 2013; np link)

The trailer here is just evidence of how far a sleazy L..A.. tort lawyer and a filmmaker will go to commit fraud on California’s courts and Dole…All the plaintiffs in the case and in the film were found to be lying……………The case was tossed out of court, the sleazy lawyer is under criminal investigation, and the filmmaker is trying to play the freedom of speech/bad American company card in Europe to sell his false diatribe.” (Source: perry3k, 2009; np link)

In response to the above comment:

“This guy is getting paid by Dole to give bad comments, this very username was shown in the documentary about the film. This practise by the way, is illegal.” (Source: Hooghuis, 2013; np link)

“Fuck off Dole. You make me sick. Deal with your crimes instead of going after the film makers.” (Source: jnslgrd, 2012; np link)

“It’s not that odd. The documentary have a clear angle from the attorneys side. Also the stories told by the farmers are very affectionate. I personally believe that DOLE made the nicaraguans suffer. Why? partly this movie and partly my impression of how big corporations act in third w.” (Source: Nils Lunneryd, 2012; np link)

“AHH. I knew Dole bananas were bad, I do NOT TRUST LARGE CORPORATIONS/COMPANIES!!! First of all, they have the “rising sun” symbol in their ‘Dole’ logo, which is a symbol that’s present in many logos (has to do with Illuminati owning large companies) Bill Gates & Dole are figuring out a way to make genetically modified [Dole] bananas, so be aware of that too. I’m out. The dole banana i had for breakfast is certainly my last. Thanks for uploading this!” (Source: PeaceLoveHappiness, 2012; np link)

“Yeah I have to banana plants in my backyard as well, planted 7 years ago, haven’t produced bananas yet unfortunately… guess the only option left is pushing for reform within either of the corporations to make it right. bananas are my favorite food on this planet bar none” (Source: lifexlovexlivin, 2013; np link)

“Dole refer the movie as Nazi Propaganda, spraying people and nature in general with poison that are realy Nazi Methodes,and the strainge and saddest part is that there is a Jew on the board of directors??? They care only about power,money and status, what childish behaviour is,and what the real threat is to this world !! On there Fantasy-website they use the words Live Right and Responsibility,they dont know the real meaning of these words,they only use them for selling there fantasies!” (Source: Vidyaman Jivan, 2013; np link)

“This comment has received too many negative votes:

The star of this documentary is Juan J. Dominguez. He is a personal injury attorney in the City of Los Angeles. He is currently under federal criminal investigation for ‘massive fraud’. This is according to The Wall Street Journal Wednesday, August 19, 2009-VOL. CCLIV NO. 42 The Los Angeles Times has also done 2 different stories on this same attorney. His case against Dole in 2007 was dismissed in a Los Angeles court. Please research him then decide on what to believe.” (Source: N2GLOCK1, 2009; np link)

“It’s ironic how dole claims an American lawyer goes down to the US to exploit poor, uneducated Nicaraguans to further his agenda. WHAT ABOUT A HUGE ASS AMERICAN CORPORATION EXPLOITING THESE POOR, UNEDUCATED PEOPLE FOR THE SAKE OF MAKING A PROFIT? When you have an army of lawyers, you can do almost whatever you want and mask it in any way you choose. Im not even going to go into how corporations exploit Latin America altogether. As a Nicaraguan, this company makes me sick.” (Source: 5845147, 2009; np link)

“Compensating the workers isn’t enough, they [Dole] should be locked up for crimes against humanity.” (Source: MyHatIsGreen, 2010; np link)

IMPACT/OUTCOMES

“BIG BOYS GONE BANANAS!* has been selected for the Sundance Film Festival 2012 and will have its North American Premiere in the World Documentary Competition!” (Source: Anon, 2011; np link)

“Help the little guy to fight back against dole. Fredrik Gertten is being held back by dole.

After seeing this documentary, Im never ever, not in a million years, buying dole bananas or anything related to dole food company. They are Crooks and should be held responsible for treating the poor people like this.” (Source: Sam Cro, 2012; np link).

“Food criminals are real criminals however much they try to hide their crooked ways. As citizens of planet Earth we cannot afford to allow these crooked corporations to further contaminate the planet… I am asking the supermarkets in our city to get rid of Dole products. (very politely, of course)” (Source: Bill D, 2013; np link).

“Damn me! I bought 6 bananas from Dole today. And when I got home I thought I’d research their name. And then this comes up! Well, I’ll never buy anything with their name on again” (Source: AWSMDAWG, 2011; np link).

“I can’t believe (and am almost ashamed) to never have heard about this until now 2011! Is it because I am living in a “sleepy” town in Northern Ontario – or because I was too wrapped up in my own problems? Or was it perhaps because it was swept under the rug? In any case: Dole is removed from my grocery list for ever more” (Source: mmbmbmbmb, 2011; np link).

“The sale of fairtrade bananas has exploded in Sweden after the release of our film. You can make a difference” (Source: Anon, 2010; np link)

“On a positive note, in my home country of Sweden, the sales of Fair Trade bananas have more than doubled since Dole attacked my film. And the Fair Trade sales continue to rise. That’s a great feeling. One supermarket in the city of Lund played my trailer in their fruit department. They said that the sale of Fair Trade bananas increased 500%” (Source: Gertten, 2012; np link)

“Dole makes me sick. Their attack on freedom of speach and democracy is just disgusting” (Source: Persson, 2012; np link).

“Maybe the “free word” is not so free after all in the “great” America…?” (Source: Zainkamoi, 2013; np link).

“Think about this next time you drink coffee as well. The biggest companies of coffeemakers are worse than this. Stop [buying] coffee at starbucks before the people in the 3 world will have more rights” (Source: Myrang, 2013; np link)

“Too bad a worldwide boycott of Dole products has not been mounted. Such powerful corporations need to be taught a lesson, and made an example of, so other corporations will be less likely to use these scare tactics in future. The freedom of people to report on corporate abuse is too important not to fight back in a serious way.” (Source: Chandler, 2012; np link)

“Hopefully other people can learn from the techniques that Dole applied against us. It’s the same techniques that are used against anybody who tries to tell a story.” (Source: Gertten in O’Key, 2012; np link)

“It’s United Fruit all over again, U.S mega corporations behaving like shit in the third world and then through lawsuits and threats silencing all criticism and opposition back home. These mega corporations can clog up any court for months and months, hire armies of lawyers, bribe [and] manipulate their way through anywhere. I am glad the small filmmaker and company finally brought down Goliath, defeated Dole’s lawsuit and even got a compensation in the U.S itself” (Source: underbjorn, 2012; np link)

“I’ve decided to not buy anything with the name Dole on it for the rest of my life” (Source: Hammarstedt, 2012; np link)

“I’ll never buy anything from Dole and I’ll make sure to tell everyone I know about this rotten company” (Source: gyllip1, 2013; np link)